Govt to develop 90 islands on borderlines

JAKARTA: In response to its loss in the legal battle over Sipadan and Ligitan islands off Kalimantan last year, the government is now mapping out plans to develop some 90 outlying islands across the country, a cabinet minister says.

Minister of Maritime and Fishery Affairs Rokhmin Dahuri said on Thursday that the government would show Indonesia's sovereignty over those islands by building lighthouses and other infrastructure there.

"Aside from lighthouses, we will also launch economic and social programs for people living on those islands so they will be more familiar with Indonesia," Dahuri said.

Dahuri said people on outlying islands were more familiar with the culture and language of neighboring countries, than those of Indonesia.

"The President instructed that we should move ahead with development programs on those islands," the minister added.

Schools and training centers for local people, where Bahasa Indonesia is the spoken language, will be set up under the programs, he said. -- JP